The Network of Films Shot in the UAE

So even though this was the first Saudi Arabian feature-film to be made, it was actually shot in Dubai. Of course, cinema in Saudi Arabia is still a no-go. But its Director, Ayman Halawani, is an ambitious man. When he was talking to the BBC at the time of the release, he said “The Gulf as a whole has maybe a tenth of the population of the Middle East – but it accounts for about four-fifths of the advertising spend.”So it’s hugely rich – but for cultural reasons Saudi Arabia finds film very problematic. We think we can change that, over a period of a time.”